Ethics
Public backs controversial UK scientists’ proposal to extend 14-day limit on human embryo testing
If the UK modifies this law, they will set a new ethical standard for human embryo research.
Reality Check | Should we infect people with COVID-19 for vaccine research?
A vaccine may be available sooner if volunteers are deliberately infected. But is it ethical?
Why we need to rethink the way we classify people
Humans love to sort ourselves into neat boxes - by gender, race, sexual orientation and more. But, in this extract from Data Feminism, Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren F Klein argue that it's time to dispense with these classifications.
Human overpopulation | Can having fewer children really make a difference?
In richer countries around the world, people are grappling with the ethics of bringing children into a crowded and overheated planet. But is a reduction in birth rates the best way to beat climate change? The argument rages on.
Wild ideas in science | Babies without pregnancy
Artificial wombs may give premature babies a better chance of survival. But could they transform reproductive rights too?
Forbidden medicine | What do we do when medical breakthroughs are unethical?
From Nazi medicine to GM babies, unethical research has a deeply problematic history. But what should we do when the results of these studies could offer useful scientific insight?
In the twenty-first century, fake doesn’t have to mean fraud
Genuine fakes are having a moment, and that is challenging the assumption that fake is, by definition, bad.
Everything you need to know about Neuralink
What are the ethics behind monitoring someone’s every thought, deed and emotion?
If we’re ever able to make robots as intelligent as us, won’t forcing them to work for us be as bad as slavery?
Forced labour from any equal being never ends well, so ethical guidelines are needed to ensure anything with human intelligence is treated with respect.
Reality Check | Human-animal hybrids: Can we justify the experiments?
Human-animal ‘chimeras’ could save lives, but is it right to use them for their organs?
The rise of the conscious machines: how far should we take AI?
As artificial intelligence starts to surpass our own intellect, robotics experts warn us of the risks of autonomous weaponry. So how human should we make machines and will we know when it is time to stop?
Brain hacking | UK could be 'global leader' in neural interfaces
Brain hacking technologies have the potential to help those who suffer from a stroke, epilepsy, paralysis or depression.
Richard Dawkins | “The internet provides the club room where you can meet people who have dotty ideas like you”
The esteemed biologist talks to us about flat-Earthers, anti-vaxxers and a world without religion.
Reality Check | Monkeys with human brain genes: has it crossed an ethical line?
From rhesus monkeys with human intelligence genes to CRISPR-edited human babies, has Chinese research gone too far?
Nessa Carey | Is gene editing inspiring or terrifying?
With gene editing we’re close to curing certain diseases, but at the same time, rogue scientists are experimenting in ways considered unethical by the wider medical community. What does the future look like for gene editing, and for the human race?
Medical ethics | Dr Deborah Bowman spent more than 20 years researching medical ethics, but a 2017 breast cancer diagnosis made her reconsider everything
Dr Deborah Bowman, presenter of BBC Radio 4's Patient Undone, spent more than 20 years researching medical ethics, but a 2017 breast cancer diagnosis made her reconsider everything.
How the vaccine race was won
Shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize 2018, Meredeth Wadman’s book The Vaccine Race tells the story of how rubella was effectively wiped out for good – we find out more.
Xenotransplantation: could a pig’s heart save your life?
Thousands of people are in dire need of a transplant in the UK, but there just aren’t enough donated organs to go round. So should we make up the deficit with animal organs?
The scientist who wants super hero science for everyone
What would you do with super powers? We talk to super hero scientist Barry W. Fitzgerald about his love for super heroes, the future of human genetics and creating a scientific journal dedicated to harnessing super powers.
Hard labour: the case for testing drugs on pregnant women
Traditionally, expectant mothers have been excluded from clinical trials, but could this practice be doing more harm than good? Emily Anthes investigates.
Should human cloning be allowed?
A Nobel Prize-winning scientist has claimed that human cloning could become a reality within the next 50 years.
Could we design babies, if there were no ethical constraints?
Super-baby may just be science fiction...